Center deaft mowing machine



' 2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. HILL. CENTER DRAFT MOWING MACHINE.

Patented Nov INVE NTOR WITNESSES:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. W. HILL. I

GENTER DRAFT MOWING MACHINE.

N0. 892.,335. Patented Nov. 6, 1888.

WITNESSES INVFNTOR BY MW f QJ ATTORNEYS.

NITED STATES PATENT FFIC WARREN HILL, OF TOVVANDA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NORMAN P. HICKS, OF SAME PLACE.

CENTER-DRAFT MOWlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,335, dated November6, 1888.

Application filed July 'I, 1886. Serial No. 207,329. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN HILL, of Towanda, in the county of Bradfordand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Oenter-Draft Mowing Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of mowingmachines provided with a central draft-t hat is, in whichthe horses travel in front of the cutter.

The object of my invention is to simplify the construction, avoidfriction, and permit of adj usting the machine for different purposes.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts anddetails, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter, and thenpointed out particularly in the claims.-

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved center-draft machine, parts beingbroken out and others in section. Fig. 2 is a side View of the same,parts being broken out. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan view of oneend of the cutter-bar, showing the mechanism for operating thecutter-bar. Fig. lis across-sectional view of the finger-bar. Fig. 5 isa sectional view of the ball-aud-socket joint at one end of theangle-lever for operating the cuttenbar. Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinalsectional view of the ball-and'socket joint for adjusting the cutter-barand shoe. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is aside elevation of one of the shoes. Fig. 9 is a cross-section of thesame, and Fig. 10 is a side elevation of one of the bridgepieees.

The wheels A,which support the machine, are mounted loosely 'on the axleB, and are connected with the same by the usualratchetand-pawl-Inechanism, (not shown,)so that the axle B, is rotatedby the wheels A when the machine is drawn forward; but the wheelsrevolve freely on the axle when the machine is moved backward. The axleB carries a fixed cog wheel, 0, engaging with a pinion, C, mountedrigidly on the short shaft D, journaled in the gear-frame D, which isloosely ing lever E guided at its angle between two cam-pieces, E Eattached to the gear-frame D, and provided with a handle extending towithin easy reach of the operator, so that when the lever is moved inthe direction of the arrow a, the angle of the lever being free toslidebetween the cam -pieces E the lever will be moved inward in thedirection of the arrow 12, and thus move the lever E to the positionshown in Fig. 1, and thereby throw the clutch of the gear-wheel intoengagement with the clutch of the pinion G. hen the elbow-lever is movedin the reverse direction of the arrow at, the said lever will then bemoved outward and the clutch of the gear-wheel E disengaged from theclutch of the pinion O.

The cog-wheel E engages with the pinion F, loosely mounted on the axle Band made integral with the flanged wheel F, having the inner edge ofitsflange provided with cogs or teeth, which engage with the pinion Fmounted rigidly onacrank-shaft, G, which is j ournaled in the gear-frameD andin the end of an arm, D of said frame, and on the end of said shaftG the disk G is mounted, which is provided with a crankpin, and withsaid pin the pitman-rod H is connected by a ball-and-socket joint. Theother end of the pitman His connected with the angle-lever I, pivoted toswing on the bolt 1 on the rear part of the bridgepiece J on shoe J. Thebridge-pieces J are provided with a side and end flange and have astepped bottom, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. The angle-leverl isconnected with the cutter bar K.

The pitman H is connected with the anglelever I by a ball-and-socketjoint, which is shown in detail in Fig. 5. The end H of the pitman H isforked to receive a socket-section, H", two of which sections form thesocket for receiving the ball I on the end of the rod I. A shackle orclevis, L, is passed around the two socket-sections H and is held inplace by a bolt, H, passed through said shackle L and a slot in thepitman II. The forked end ll of the pitman H is provided with the bevelsh, and the shackle L is provided on its end with the bevelsh, whichfitsnugly againstthe bevels h. In case the half-sockets of the ball becomeworn out and it is desired to tighten them to prevent rattling, all thatis necessary is to draw up the nuts on the bolt H, for as the bevels hon the forked end H of the pitnian H work on the bevels h on the ends ofthe shackle L the rounded or closed end of the shackle will be drawntoward the forked end of the pitman H at the same time that the ends ofthe shackle are drawn together, and thus the two half-socketssurrounding the ball are pressed more firmly together and form acomplete socket. The operator can thus at any time adjust the joint incase the socket is too tight or too loose on the ball, and is thusenabled to adjust the machine to work perfectly.

In that end of the lever I opposite the one connected with the pitman Ha slot, M, is formed, which has curved sides, the coucaves facing eachother, and in the slot a button, N, is placed, which has convex sides,is somewhat shorter than the slot M, and is mounted on a pivot, N, onthe end of the cutter-bar K. With this construction the circular motionof the end of the lever I transmits a reciprocating movement to thecutter-bar K with but very little friction, the convex sides of thebutton rolling on the coneaves of the slot, so that all sliding frictionis avoided.

011 each end of the axle B a V-shaped casting, 0, is hung, which has thefree ends of its arms connected by a curved brace, O, and thedownwardly-projeeting arm of each casting O is provided withalongitudinal slot, 0, through which the bolt 0 is passed, which holdsthe ends of the bars 0, which are secured to the draft-pole 0, thuspermitting of adjusting the draft-pole higher or lower, as may bedesired. In the ends of the forward]y-projecting arms of the castings Othe ends of an arched bar, 1?, are held, which extends across from onecasting to the other and is clamped by the lugs 1 on the front end ofthe frame D, the ends of said arched bar I being held in the front armsof the castings O in the bottom edges of the lower ends of said arms. Onthe end of the front arm of each casting O a tube or red, R, isheld,which rods are slightly bent outward in front of the wheels, so asto increase the cutting width of the machine, and the front and lowerends of said rods or tubes 1% are inserted in sockets S, projectingupward toward the rear and slightly toward each other from the rear endsof the bridge-piece J 3 of the shoes. On the lower end of each tube orred It a ball, R, (see Fig. 6,) is formed, which fits against the seat Rformed in the socket S, and is held loosely in place by a socketcap-piece, R, held on the socket S by a bolt, R, and a nut on said bolt.The socket- -picces S increase in diameter in one direction toward theirupper rear en ds,as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and in said rear ends theadjustingscrews S are held, the inner ends of which rest against acollar, S, surrounding loosely that red or tube R inserted in thecorresponding socket piece. The bridgepieccs J of the shoes J onopposite sides of the machine are united by the finger-bar T, which issecured to the bridge-pieces J by bolts, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and10. The said bar T is inclined slightly from the front to the rear, asshown in Figs. 2 and a, and on said finger-bar T the fingers T are heldby bolts T The cutterbar K slides on the fiat level portions T of thefingers, slightly in front of the bar T, and each finger is provided infront of the cutter-bar with the laterally-projecting wings U. In theHat level portion T of each finger T an oilcup, U, is formed.

Each shoe J is provided with the laterallyprojecting flanges V, the rearends of which form shoulders V, and each shoe J is provided with thestandards J and J", to which the bridge-piece J is secured by bolts V V,said bridge pieces supporting the finger bar T, which does not connectthe shoes directly, but connects them by means of said bridge-pieces, asstated above. The bridge-pieces can be adj usted higher or lower on theshoes, as may be desired, so as to bring the cutter-bar a greater orless distance from the ground. On the belt which holds the bridge pieceon the rear standard of each shoe J a bar,V, is pivoted, which rests onthe inner shoulder, V, of the shoe, as clearly shown in Fig. 9, and isprovided with a wing, V, which wings serve to guide the cut grass, &c.,toward the center of the machine.

The operation is as follows: The axle B is revolved from the wheelsA,and by means of the cog-wheel O and the pinion O the cog-wheel E isrevolved when the clutch-collars C and E are engaged, and from saidcog-wheel E the shaft G is revolved by means of the gearing within theframe D. By means of the pitman H the cutter-bar K is reeiprocated. Thefinger-bar T is inclined toward the rear, thus causing the grass, &c.cut by the cutter-bar to slide down over the same very easily andrapidly. XVhen the cutter-bar is inclined transversely from passing overuneven ground, the rods B being free to turn in the sockets S, the ballsIt turning freely between the seats R and socket cap-pieces R", and therods R in the collars 8*, the cutter-bar will be free to follow theinequalities of the ground, so that it will rest evenly on the groundhowever in clined or uneven the surface may be.

The sockets S having wide months, they can be adjusted in relation tothe rods or tubesR by means of the set'screws S clamping the collars S,so that the fingers T can be inclined upward or downward, as desired.

The above-described machine is very compact and simple, cuts a verybroad swath of grass, and all the parts of the machine can easily be soadjusted as not to rattle.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In a center-draft mowing-machine, thecombination, with the two shoes, of the vertically-adjustable bridgepieces J 3 on the same,

and provided with the sockets S, the rods R,

passed into the sockets S and provided at their ends with balls fittingin the said sockets, the axle, wheels supporting the same, and frames onthe ends of the axle, in which frames the upper ends of the rods R areheld, substantially as herein shownand described.

2. In a center-draft mowing-machine, the combination,with an axle, thewheels, and the frames on the ends of the axle, of the rods R,projecting from said frames and provided at their lower ends with ballsand near their ends with the collars S the bridge-pieces J provided withthe flaring sockets S, for'receiving the balls on the ends of the rodsR, the screws '3, bearing on the collar S in the sockets for adjustingthe sockets on the rods R, and shoes supporting the bridge-pieces,substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a center-draft mowing-machine, the combination, with the shoes anda reciprocat- Ing cutter-bar, of a button mounted to turn on the top ofsaid bar at one end, which button has its side edges rounded on a convexline, and of an angle-lever pivoted to the shoe and combination, with arod having a forked end provided with bevels on the prongs, of a socketheld against the forked end, a shackle surrounding the socket andprovided with bevels on the ends of its prongs resting against thebevels on the prongs of the forked rod, and a bolt passed through theends of the shackle and the forked end of the rod, substantially asherein shown and described.

5. In a center-draft mowing-machine, the combination, with the wheelsand axle, of a frame held on the axle, a train of gearing in said frame,clutch mechanism for throwing said gearing in and out of action, apivoted forked lever engaging the clutch mechanism, an elbowshifting-lever connected with said forked lever, and the cam-pieces E onthe frame, between which the angle of the elbow shifting-lever isguided, substantially as specifled.

WARREN HILL.

Witnesses:

O. 1?. SMITH, W. H. DODGE.

